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Row as Barnoldswick's first cinema in over 25 years to open
3:30pm Sunday 30th November 2008
A ROW has erupted between councillors after £40,000 funding was secured for a town’s first cinema in over 25 years.
The Centre Screen mobile cinema, at the Rainhall Centre, Barnoldswick, is set to open in the new year.
It has been described as an “exciting” development by the Craven ward’s Coun David Whipp, who is also a member of Barnoldswick Town Council.
But fellow Craven ward councillor Glenn Whittaker, who is also on the town council, raised concerns about the cost.
And Jennifer Purcell, another town council members, labelled it “ridiculous” and a waste of money.
The cinema, which will feature a state-of-the-art screen, has high-definition capability.
It will be the first cinema in the town since the closure of the Majestic Cinema, in Albert Road, in the early 1980s, councillors said.
And it will include up to 80 seats, which Coun Whipp, who has been involved with the development, believes will provide visitors with an “armchair experience.”
He added: “I’m chomping at the bit to get going because we have been planning it for a long time and it’s finally all coming together now, so I’m very excited.
“We’re hoping to show a mixture of recent releases and genre films to cater for all ages.
“We’re planning afternoon showings for mums and tots and there will be opportunities for local people to have their own films on the big screen.”
West Craven Committee has funded £30,000 towards the cinema and a further £10,000 has been donated by Barnoldswick Town Council.
Coun Whittaker said another £30,000 will be required to complete the development.
He said: “I thought £10,000 sounded reasonable for a cinema when it was raised at the town council meeting, but then at the West Craven Committee meeting, Coun Whipp proposed that we donate £30,000 for a mobile cinema, which I didn’t realise was the same one.
“It seems like a lot of money for one cinema.”
Coun Purcell, added: “I think these councillors need to be brought to task for wasting a lot of taxpayers’ money on a mobile cinema. People have their own plasma TVs and there is the credit crunch to consider.”
Your Say YourTelegraph
David Whipp, Barnoldswick says...
6:56pm Sun 30 Nov 08
One of the plus points about facilities like this is that it gets people of all ages to share experiences and enjoy themselves together - a building block of any true community. Clearly such concepts are alien to Barlick's Independent Group.
They must be confused though; Cllr Whittaker voted for this project and sits on the body which is working to bring it about. There hasn't been any 'row' about this when decisions have been taken - strange that they're creating one now.
Local cinema facilities have come top of young people's wish lists for the last few years (and older folk, too, are looking forward to going to the pictures in Barlick as well). As their representative, I'm in the business of trying to get what residents want in the town; not being a kill-joy councillor like Cllr Purcell's group.
Kevin, Colne, Colne says...
7:26pm Sun 30 Nov 08
I wish this venture well but it strikes me as another example of Liberal-Democrats either failing to acknowledge or ignoring the principal forces that are shaping leisure. If King Canute were alive today he'd be right at home among Pendle Liberal-Democrats.
The armchair experience that councillors loftily talk about now takes place in peoples' front rooms and all the more so with the advent of videos, dvds and multi-channel
media.
Moreover many of those who do go to the cinema treat the experience as a 'night-out'. A hundred years ago that meant the town in which they lived; today for many it means a trip to a multi-plex complex.
Now it's true that not everyone has multi-media at home, nor do they have access to a car but they may have friends or relatives that do.
When folks are facing redundancy, short-time working and struggling to pay gas and electricity bills and the weekly shopping bill it beggars belief that councillors think nothing of spending taxpayers hard-earned money on a project of questionable utility and where the demand is difficult to determine.
A few years ago I attended a meeting at Colne Town Hall and a Liberal-Democrat councillor turned to me and said: "We've done a survey and we've got a leisure deficit". I blinked. "Tell me", I asked, "What's a lesisure deficit?" There was a moments silence and then he replied: "It's a deficit in leisure". I had to leave the chamber to laugh out loud because I thought if I laughed in front him he might get upset, and in any case he seemed a nice sort of guy. That was the point at which I realised this was the world of 'The King's New Clothes'.
One final point. Remember that for every £1 that councillors spend that is contributed by Council Tax-payers the said taxpayer has to earn around £1.40 to pay the Council (after income tax and national insurance etc) the £1.
coates warder, barlick says...
7:47pm Sun 30 Nov 08
Kevin, Colne, Colne says...
7:49pm Sun 30 Nov 08
I wish this venture well but it strikes me as another example of Liberal-Democrats either failing to acknowledge or ignoring the principal forces that are shaping leisure. If King Canute were alive today he'd be right at home among Pendle Liberal-Democrats.
The armchair experience that councillors loftily talk about now takes place in peoples' front rooms and all the more so with the advent of videos, dvds and multi-channel
media.
Moreover many of those who do go to the cinema treat the experience as a 'night-out'. A hundred years ago that meant the town in which they lived; today for many it means a trip to a multi-plex complex.
Now it's true that not everyone has multi-media at home, nor do they have access to a car but they may have friends or relatives that do.
When folks are facing redundancy, short-time working and struggling to pay gas and electricity bills and the weekly shopping bill it beggars belief that councillors think nothing of spending taxpayers hard-earned money on a project of questionable utility and where the demand is difficult to determine.
A few years ago I attended a meeting at Colne Town Hall and a Liberal-Democrat councillor turned to me and said: "We've done a survey and we've got a leisure deficit". I blinked. "Tell me", I asked, "What's a lesisure deficit?" There was a moments silence and then he replied: "It's a deficit in leisure". I had to leave the chamber to laugh out loud because I thought if I laughed in front him he might get upset, and in any case he seemed a nice sort of guy. That was the point at which I realised this was the world of 'The King's New Clothes'.
One final point. Remember that for every £1 that councillors spend that is contributed by Council Tax-payers the said taxpayer has to earn around £1.40 to pay the Council (after income tax and national insurance etc) the £1.
Kevin, Colne, Colne says...
7:49pm Sun 30 Nov 08
I wish this venture well but it strikes me as another example of Liberal-Democrats either failing to acknowledge or ignoring the principal forces that are shaping leisure. If King Canute were alive today he'd be right at home among Pendle Liberal-Democrats.
The armchair experience that councillors loftily talk about now takes place in peoples' front rooms and all the more so with the advent of videos, dvds and multi-channel
media.
Moreover many of those who do go to the cinema treat the experience as a 'night-out'. A hundred years ago that meant the town in which they lived; today for many it means a trip to a multi-plex complex.
Now it's true that not everyone has multi-media at home, nor do they have access to a car but they may have friends or relatives that do.
When folks are facing redundancy, short-time working and struggling to pay gas and electricity bills and the weekly shopping bill it beggars belief that councillors think nothing of spending taxpayers hard-earned money on a project of questionable utility and where the demand is difficult to determine.
A few years ago I attended a meeting at Colne Town Hall and a Liberal-Democrat councillor turned to me and said: "We've done a survey and we've got a leisure deficit". I blinked. "Tell me", I asked, "What's a lesisure deficit?" There was a moments silence and then he replied: "It's a deficit in leisure". I had to leave the chamber to laugh out loud because I thought if I laughed in front him he might get upset, and in any case he seemed a nice sort of guy. That was the point at which I realised this was the world of 'The King's New Clothes'.
One final point. Remember that for every £1 that councillors spend that is contributed by Council Tax-payers the said taxpayer has to earn around £1.40 to pay the Council (after income tax and national insurance etc) the £1.
coates warder, barlick says...
7:54pm Sun 30 Nov 08
Jennene Whiteley, Barnoldswick says...
8:29pm Sun 30 Nov 08
We look forward to seeing you all at the launch and bringing in the New Year with a sense of pulling together in these tough times and not just staying at home but remembering what it is to be a part of a community.
Thank you
Jennene Whiteley
Rainhall Centre
Project Manager
David Whipp, Barnoldswick says...
8:38am Mon 1 Dec 08
At Barlick Town Council, the Independent Group (Cllr Purcell etc) voted for administration and accommodation costs totalling over £30,000.
The Liberals are making big savings in these budgets. The savings are being invested in facitlites and services that the residents of Barnoldswick have asked for (such as the community cinema).
One saving is by moving out of the expensive and underused office voted for by the Independent Group into the (much reviled by them) Rainhall Centre at a fraction of the cost.
tonygreaves, Colne says...
11:54pm Mon 1 Dec 08
If Mrs Purcell and her crew had their way, it would indeed be the dead-end dump that it gets caricatured as - instead of the lively and go-ahead community that it really is.
It's really just jealousy - everyone who knows anything at all knows that David has done ten times more for his home town than his detractors will do in all their lives put together.
Tony Greaves
Your sayYourTelegraph
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Laura Wiggan, B'lick says...
6:55pm Sun 30 Nov 08
But I also think this is typical of Lib Dem run councils.
When did it become the councils job to put on fireworks displays, put on theatre in parks and now run cinemas.
This is why Lib Dem councils cost so much money!!